Charoite Slab, Siberia, Russia, 252.4 grams

Charoite is a rare silicate mineral that was first described in 1978 and named for the Chara River. It has been reported only from the Sakha Republic, Yakutia, Siberia, Russia.

It is found where a syenite of the Murunskii Massif has intruded into and altered limestone deposits producing a potassium feldspar metasomatite. Charoite occurs in association with tinaksite and canasite.

Charoite is translucent lavender to purple in color with a pearly luster. Charoite is strictly massive in nature, and fractures are conchoidal.

It has an unusual swirling, fibrous appearance, sometimes chatoyant, and that, along with its intense color, can lead many to believe at first that it is synthetic or enhanced artificially.

Though reportedly discovered in the 1940s, it was not known to the outside world until its description in 1978.

A few years back, the mine was flooded and now there is no longer any new Charoite coming to market, only what had already be removed.

This has made the value of this beautiful material skyrocket, with it's popularity in jewelry pieces climbing and it's market supply shrinking.

But not all Charoite is created equal, there is a lot of unattractive material still on the market, making piece with good patterns, even harder to come by.